by Stephanie Bucklin, Originally posted 2/1/2014
“Yoga is a disciplined path for purification of our attachments to the temporal world of form (bodies and objects) and the ever changing world of energy and mind, to experience the bliss and unity of consciousness as the unchanging, ever permanent, immortal and infinite Being.” – Dr. Brian Sheen, PhD
I have been practicing yoga for over 15 years now. My main motivations for continuing my yoga practice are for pain relief and stress management, as well as peacefulness. Yoga has definitely changed my life, in that I’m much more peaceful, loving and happy when I practice yoga regularly. My favorite time of day to practice yoga is in the evening, just after sunset. My favorite yoga pose is Triangle (Trikonasana) pose – it’s very soothing to the body and balances my energy nicely. Final relaxation (Savasana) is my second favorite pose, having had many enlightening experiences during this meditative practice – this practice allows me to achieve a peaceful state that will carry throughout the day. I have several friends who practice yoga, but I only get to practice with them about twice per month. I do currently teach yoga, and my specialties are Meditative Hatha Yoga and Somatic Yoga Therapy. Although my classes are scheduled for three times per week, lately I’ve only been teaching about twice per month. I’m taking this time to perfect my art in Yoga Teacher Training. I have never attended a yoga retreat (but I’d really like to someday). I absolutely feel yoga is an effective treatment for stress and depression (and many other ailments). Yoga creates peace in the body-mind and enhances our ability to access both creativity and clarity. Yoga also creates balance in the physical body unlike any other fitness practice. Most importantly, having a regular yoga practice has given me peace.
I currently practice and teach yoga – I’m also in training to become a certified yoga instructor. Yoga is very important to my well-being and peacefulness, so I practice quite regularly (up to five times per week). I have a goal to practice with a Yogic Guru in India sometime in the future. Because I’m currently in training, I wanted to know more about yoga culture here in Ventura, which will prepare me to be a better yoga instructor.
In 2008, it was “estimated that 15.8 million Americans practiced postural (Hatha) yoga.” (Farmer, pp. 145) Although the original yoga that came from India consists of six major “spokes” or disciplines:
- Raja-discipline of the mind;
- Jnana-discipline of knowledge;
- Karma-discipline of duty;
- Bhakti-discipline of devotion;
- Mantra-recitation of numerous sounds; and
- Hatha-discipline of the body
Yoga in America is most commonly practiced in Yoga studios, outdoors, and at home. Yoga retreats are usually put on by popular yoga instructors or facilities, and will be held over weekends in a beautiful and remote location. Local yoga studios here in Ventura include Yoga Jones, The Yoga Channel, and Bikram Yoga Studio. Yoga classes can also be found at larger fitness centers like 24 Hour Fitness or Gold’s Gym. My research consisted of email correspondence and online chat conversations. I also reviewed an article about Yoga in America called, “Americasana,” by J. Farmer, published on www.academia.com in 2010.
Americans generally practice an “individualized and simplified version of the single physical discipline.” (Farmer, pp. 146) Being immersed inside the yoga culture for more than a decade, I have found yogis and yoginis (male and female yoga practitioners, respectively) to be very genuine, compassionate and loving people. I believe yoga practice changes people’s perception about life in a very deep spiritual way, which comes through in the very fabric of their personalities. I was very curious about specifically how other practitioners’ lives have been affected by yoga. I was also interested in hearing about yoga retreats, having never experienced one before, to see if the yogin’s practice was enhanced by attending the retreat.
As I mentioned above, I’ve been studying ancient Vedic texts on yoga philosophy for over ten years. The complete yoga that Mr. Farmer refers to with all its many dimensions truly spoke to be upon first introduction in 2006, when I read Deepak Chopra’s “Seven Spiritual Laws of Yoga”. The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali truly expanded my understanding of enlightenment. In my experience, by expanding my awareness of the spiritual practices of yoga, I have seriously altered my consciousness. Yoga opened the door to my subconscious and new heights of spiritual awakening. In my experience, most yoga studios do not teach enough of the yoga philosophies and actually do their students a great disservice in this way. A yoga student can begin to feel the alterations of consciousness simply from Hatha yoga and meditative practices, but without spiritual guidance can get very lost in their own Kundalini energy. I would like to see more authentic yoga practitioners teaching yoga classes to guide students into a true yogin consciousness.
In speaking with friends who also practice yoga, it seems that yoga really does change people in a deep spiritual way, and it has a consistently positive effect on people’s overall well-being. These conversations confirmed my ideas of yoga: 1) Yoga seems to have had a profound effect on each of my informants, admittedly impacting many deep aspects of their lives. 2) It seems that yoga also provides access to peacefulness in ways that are unlike other fitness practices. 3) Yoga is not only a physical practice, but a mental and spiritual practice as well. 4) Also, when yogins go on yoga retreats, their personal practice almost always benefits.
Interestingly, the article that I referred to earlier, “Americasana,” by Jared Farmer, made it seem that the yoga practiced here in America was devoid of the spiritual aspects of the yoga practiced in India. The American versions of yoga are “brands” – they lack the original esoteric nature of yoga practice and philosophy. However, I might argue that the physical yoga practice is enough to be a means of attaining spiritual awakening, whether the practitioner originally sets out for this goal or not. I did in fact receive responses in line with what I expected, but the deepest effects felt by the most consistent practitioners.
In my experience, yoga truly gives me peace – a kind of peaceful energy that I can take with me for the rest of my day. Yoga also gives me strength, clarity of mind, and confidence to follow my spiritual path. If you are interested in achieving peace, I strongly suggest you try yoga more than once – I’d say a regular yoga practice of 2 – 3 days per week would get you to a peaceful state, and keeping up with that practice will keep you at peace despite any suffering. Yoga is great!
Namaste <3
~S
